🔒CT’s hemp industry aims for a rebirth

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It was easy to miss during the late-night negotiations and flurry of activity that characterized the final days of the legislative session earlier this month.

But with little fanfare and virtually no opposition, state lawmakers approved a bill that would allow for hemp to be grown in Connecticut for the first time in more than 50 years.

The move represents a small step back towards an era in the state's history when, according to federal agriculture records, farmers grew hemp in at least six counties.

By itself, the bill, which still needs Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's signature, won't spur a commercial hemp resurgence in the state, but advocates hope it's a step in that direction. For now, the bill allows for research-scale hemp cultivation, which is about as far as the state can go without running afoul of federal law, which still effectively outlaws commercial hemp production.

Hemp is a fibrous variety of cannabis that contains virtually none of the psychoactive ingredients present in plants that yield marijuana. The plant's close connection to the drug, however, was one factor that led to its production decline in the U.S. after World War II, though American companies continue to import millions of dollars' worth of hemp products each year from China, Canada and other countries.

Last year, however, Congress included language in the federal farm bill allowing for research-scale hemp cultivation, and instructed drug enforcement officials not to interfere with states that want to test the waters.

Since then, at least nine other states have changed their laws to specify that hemp is no longer considered a controlled substance, providing some legal protections for growers, even though federal law still largely considers hemp to be an illegal drug. Several states, including Kentucky, Colorado and Vermont, have already planted pilot crops to study hemp cultivation and marketing.

Connecticut now joins a growing movement spurred by advocates and lawmakers who see hemp production as a potential U.S. economic engine.

But the industry's revival, both here and abroad, will be far from easy because slowly shifting federal law isn't the only barrier to hemp's comeback. There are economic concerns as well. Several Connecticut agencies have questioned whether hemp cultivation could be profitable for Connecticut farmers.

But nonetheless, progress is progress, advocates say.

“Obviously we want the process to be faster than it is, but I'm just happy we can put our foot in the door,” said state Rep. Melissa Ziobron, R-East Haddam, who championed Connecticut's bill.

CT hemp advocate gets a jump start

Hemp has thousands of end uses, from clothing to beauty products to food. Ziobron said she hopes production of the plant will eventually create economic opportunity for Connecticut farmers and manufacturers and replace reliance on imported hemp.

Tatianna Gildersleeve, a former fashion stylist and editor who owns a fledgling textile business in Greenwich called Tredway White, hopes that Connecticut-grown hemp could eventually become part of a line of sustainable products for her company.

“We can import hemp from basically any country in the world, but we can't grow it here,” Gildersleeve said. “This is a start to change that.”

The change in federal law last year allows state agriculture departments and universities to study hemp cultivation and marketing. Ziobron has suggested that UConn's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources could play that role in Connecticut.

The school did not make an official available for comment before deadline.

While Connecticut's hemp bill awaits the governor's signature, Gildersleeve is already involved in cultivation. Her company has partnered with a Kentucky farm that just planted its second research hemp crop — part of 1,500 acres that farmers in the Bluegrass State are expected to harvest this year.

She hopes to process some of that resulting crop into fiber to use in her products, though she admits she is uncertain about the legality of transporting the hemp to another state and using it for commercial purposes.

Kentucky, once the nation's largest hemp producer, underscores the tension between federal enforcement and state hemp efforts.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency seized imported hemp seeds there last year and then released the seeds after the state sued and successfully applied for a DEA permit.

In Connecticut, the departments of Economic and Community Development, Consumer Protection and Agriculture released a report in December recommending that lawmakers adopt the same definition for hemp as the 2014 farm bill, to minimize the risk of federal enforcement action. The state legislature did just that, defining hemp as the cannabis variant with virtually none of the active ingredients found in marijuana.

Hemp Hurdles

If Congress greenlighted commercial hemp production today, there would still be plenty of challenges to forming an industry around it in Connecticut.

The state report released in December predicted a “modest new economic opportunity” for farmers if commercial hemp production is permitted.

The profitability of U.S. hemp is a tough thing to predict, according to a study by the University of Madison-Wisconsin, which said many estimates overlook how labor intensive hemp processing is, the impact of foreign competition, and potential regulatory costs.

Henry Talmage, executive director of the Connecticut Farm Bureau Association, which represents approximately half of the state's farmers, said he is happy about the hemp bill, but his optimism is tempered.

“In general, we're always excited about new marketing and production opportunities for Connecticut growers,” Talmage said. “The bigger question is: Is this something that can be done profitably in Connecticut?”

Farmers would need processing plants available to handle their hemp crops and be assured there was a market for the product. Plus, there would be price competition from bigger farming states and foreign producers.

“Most people envision this as much more of a boutique type of opportunity, at least initially,” Talmage said. “I don't see hemp replacing huge segments of our agricultural infrastructure.”

But Talmage said hemp could be part of the business mix for some farmers who have diversified over the years into niche crops, including some recent interest in hops for brewing beer.

Gildersleeve, who spoke to the Hartford Business Journal by phone from Kentucky, said she's ready to give hemp production a shot.

“I'd love to grow closer to home,” she said. “It's a really good opportunity for Connecticut farmers to, even on a small scale, create an economy around hemp.”

Brad Kane contributed to this story.